HEC scholarships Over 5,000 PhD scholars studying abroad

PESHAWAR, The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has said that it is sponsoring over 5,000 PhD scholars abroad while about the same number of people are doing their doctorate in the country.

While addressing the inaugural session of a two-day health research symposium, organised by the Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar, HEC executive director Prof Sohail Naqvi said that universities had a leading role in policy making.

Prof Naqvi said that Pakistan was one of the luckiest nations of the world which was rich in natural and human resources. He said knowledge and research had no boundaries and the HEC was trying its best to facilitate across the board all higher education institutions.

While highlighting the HEC mandate, he said that it was assuring quality standards for academics and research, and standardising degree programmes throughout the country at graduate, postgraduate and PhD levels.

“Universities have multiple roles and enhancing education is not only the responsibility of the public sector, the private sector can also play a pivotal role in enhancement of education,” he added.

Prof Naqvi said introducing educational and research culture in the academic institutions was one of the main objectives of the HEC. He said that the future of Pakistan was bright and “we have a lot of expectations from the new generation”.

Earlier, Vice-Chancellor KMU Prof Mohammad Hafizullah highlighted achievements of the university.

He said the university had established Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences and Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“The KMU has also started new courses in public health, physiotherapy, nursing and vision sciences,” he said, adding that establishment of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and other schemes would be materialised soon.

Dr Tasleem Akhtar, Prof Malik Mubbashir and Prof Aamir Aziz also addressed the symposium.

Vice-chancellors of the Peshawar University, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Agricultural University Peshawar, principals of public and private sector medical colleges of the NWFP, faculty members, and a large number of students were present on the occasion.